Somalia announces $40m poll cost, donors to offset 90%

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: The Federal Government is banking on the donor to fund 90% of the $40 million election costs amid local and international condemnation on how the outgoing administration is handling the elections process.

Finance Minister Abdirahman Beileh revealed Friday Somalia will be contributing 10% only to cover the costs of the elections which is expected to start late this month and drag to March. President Mohamed Farmaajo has in recent weeks come under heavy criticism for ‘unilateral’ decisions in the management of the heavily contested elections.

Protesters have been met with a severe response from security personnel as opposition groups demand the Federal Indirect Elections Team (FIET) appointed by the president be reconstituted on grounds that it is composed of senior civil servants, security officials and the president’s henchmen.

According to a timetable by FIET which opposition groups have urged against, the election of the 54 members of the Upper House is set to kick off on December 30 through to January 6.

We need $130m to deliver 2021 elections-NIEC

Subsequently, the process of electing the 275 members of the Lower House will start on January 7 culminating into the actual voting on between February 9 and 21. A total of 27,775 delegates will elect the 275 MPs in a rigorous and complex clan matrix.

Puntland and Jubbaland which have vehemently differed with Farmaajo are yet to appoint their respective State-Level elections teams.

The 2020/21 elections will cost double the 2016/7 elections budget which stood at an estimate of $21 million. Tabulations by Goobjoog News indicated that $21 million was raised for the elections from the international community and locally by the Federal Government and elections fees.

The international community then pledged to cover 60% of the costs while the Federal Government contributed 15% amounting to $2.1 million. The elections committee FIET raised approximately $3.5 million translating to 25% of the costs from elections fees.

The National Independent Elections Commission (NIEC) had asked for $130 million to conduct one-person-one-vote elections.